Current:Home > reviewsFormer New York comptroller Alan Hevesi, tarnished by public scandals, dies at 83 -Ascend Wealth Education
Former New York comptroller Alan Hevesi, tarnished by public scandals, dies at 83
View
Date:2025-04-19 01:33:16
NEW YORK (AP) — Alan Hevesi, a longtime elected official from New York City who resigned as state comptroller amid one scandal and later served prison time after a “pay-to-play” corruption probe, died Thursday. He was 83.
A release from his family said he passed away peacefully surrounded by his children and loved ones. He died of Lewy body dementia, according to a spokesperson.
Though his two-part downfall made him a symbol of corruption in New York politics, he was a respected state lawmaker for much of his career.
The former Queens College professor won a state Assembly seat in 1971 and served more than two decades in the chamber, gaining a reputation as an impressive debater with an interest in health care issues.
He won the New York City comptroller’s job in 1993, though he fell short in a 2001 bid for the Democratic nomination for mayor. He won the state comptroller’s election the next year.
As Hevesi ran for reelection in 2006, a state ethics commission found he had violated the law by using a staffer as a driver for his seriously ill wife for three years and not paying for it until after his Republican opponent raised the issue.
Hevesi was still reelected by a wide margin, but he never made it to his second term. About six weeks later, he pleaded guilty to defrauding the government and resigned. He paid a $5,000 fine.
His legal problems continued after he left office.
Over the next four years, a sweeping state investigation by then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo showed that officials and cronies got fees and favors from financiers seeking chunks of the state retirement fund to manage. As comptroller, Hevesi was the fund’s sole trustee.
He pleaded guilty to a felony corruption charge in October 2010, admitting he accepted free travel and campaign contributions from a financier in exchange for investing hundreds of millions of dollars of state pension money with the businessman’s firm.
“I will never forgive myself. I will live with this shame for the rest of my life,” he said at his sentencing in April 2011.
Hevesi served 20 months of what could have been a four-year prison sentence.
His son Andrew serves in the Assembly. Another son was a state senator.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Please Stand Up for Eminem's Complete Family Tree—Including Daughter Hailie Jade's First Baby on the Way
- David Gilmour says 'absolutely not' for Pink Floyd reunion amid Roger Waters feud
- California vineyard owner says he was fined $120K for providing free housing to his employee
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Chancellor of Louisiana Delta Community College will resign in June
- United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket completes second successful launch
- Search for missing 22-year-old Yellowstone employee scaled back to recovery mission
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Former owner of water buffalo that roamed Iowa suburb for days pleads guilty
Ranking
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Evidence of alleged sexual abuse to be reviewed in Menendez brothers case, prosecutors say
- Yankees' newest October hero Luke Weaver delivers in crazy ALDS opener
- 1 dead after accident at Louisiana fertilizer plant
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- NFL says it's not involved in deciding when Tua Tagovailoa returns from concussion
- Frustrated Helene survivors struggle to get cell service in destructive aftermath
- Idaho state senator tells Native American candidate ‘go back where you came from’ in forum
Recommendation
Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
Hilary Swank Gets Candid About Breastfeeding Struggles After Welcoming Twins
Video shows 'world's fanciest' McDonald's, complete with grand piano, gutted by Helene
Airbnb offering free temporary housing to displaced Hurricane Helene survivors
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
'Dream come true:' New Yorker flies over 18 hours just to see Moo Deng in Thailand
These Fun Facts About Travis Kelce Are All Game Winners
How sugar became sexual and 'sinful' − and why you shouldn't skip dessert